Metadata for Digital Collections: A How-to-Do-It Manual (How-To-Do-It Manual Series

by Steven J. Miller

More and more libraries, archives, and museums are creating online collections of digitized resources. Where can those charged with organizing these new collections turn for guidance on the actual practice of metadata design and creation? To Metadata for Digital A How-To-Do-It Manual for Libraries, Archives, and Museums. This practical, hands-on volume will make it easy for readers to acquire the knowledge and skills they need, whether they use the book on the job or in a classroom.. Author Steven Miller introduces readers to fundamental concepts and practices in a style accessible to beginners and LIS students, as well as experienced practitioners with little metadata training. He also takes account of the widespread use of digital collection management systems such as CONTENTdm. Rather than surveying a large number of metadata schemes, Miller covers only three of the schemes most commonly used in general digital resource description, namely, Dublin Core, MODS, and VRA. By limiting himself, Miller is able to address the chosen schemes in greater depth. He is also able to include numerous practical examples that clarify common application issues and challenges. He provides practical guidance on applying each of the Dublin Core elements, taking special care to clarify those most commonly misunderstood. The book includes a step-by-step guide on how to design and document a metadata scheme for local institutional needs and for specific digital collection projects. The text also serves well as an introduction to broader metadata topics, including XML encoding, mapping between different schemes, metadata interoperability and record sharing, OAI harvesting, and the emerging environment of Linked Data and the Semantic Web, explaining their relevance to current practitioners and students. A companion Web site includes exercises for each chapter, with suggestions for instructors, along with additional practical and reference resources.

Genres: Nonfiction, Reference, Library Science, Textbooks, Information Science, School

230 pages, Paperback

First published May 31, 2011

Reviews

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first time, and perhaps will be the only time, that I will read a textbook in entirety before the semester beings...for fun. I really enjoyed this introduction to metadata, and perhaps am increasingly becoming interested in it because I am working on the beginning stages of digitizing a local history collection in a public library. While I'm not sure about how I feel regarding the author's citations of Wikipedia (4 stars), I am excited to learn how to actually implement this and create these records with the proper software.

[Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this to be a great introduction to metadata as used in libraries and other information centers. There were great explanations of the various schema and standards used in the world of metadata, and examples galore helped to provide even greater context. It's not a perfect textbook, probably a bit overworded and sometimes even repetitive, but that can be expected of textbooks where readers might jump around or read only certain chapters for a class. I had to go through the whole damn thing, but it was worth it overall.

[Tessa]

Read for LS 505: Organization of Information

I definitely did not master this subject completely, but there's a lot of good info here! I particularly loved learned about bibframe (the future of library catalogs). I will probably be seeing triples in my dreams for a while yet.

[Jennifer Dawes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very practical for anyone new to digitization projects, especially in cultural heritage organizations. Excellent examples, and quite clear on Dublin Core and MODS.

[Bill Sleeman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very well done guide to the current state of metadata in libraries and cultural institutions. It is comprehensive and helpful. The only drawback (and this is a fault of the publisher not the author, Steven Miller) was that the figures or illustrations were sometimes laid out/placed too far from the portion of the text that they were intended to represent. It was occasionally a problem to locate the correct illustration that accompanied a portion of text. Otherwise, this is a very good resource and I recommend it to all the librarians on Goodreads.

[Tamara · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredibly well-written manual - concise, clear, and yet not boring. The website includes a helpful glossary and supplementary material for each chapter. I went from knowing next to nothing about metadata to feeling relatively confident about the topic. I borrowed this from the public library, but can't stand the thought of not having my own copy to refer to in the future. It's that good of a resource.

[Marianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book. Detailed without being overly technical. Great examples. Explains WHY we do things a certain way, not just how to do them. I would say this is required reading for any beginning metadata class or a librarian already working with metadata in some capacity that wants a solid overview of the field.

[Fallon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not going to lie, I fell asleep reading this book several times. I blame that on the subject matter though; metadata is just not that interesting of a subject. I will say that this book did teach me a lot, though, so I do recommend it for those trying to learn metadata. Again, another book for class.

[Darin Stewart · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent primer on applying Dublin Core, MODS, and VRA Core to digital resources. A bit too focused on academic collections, but very readable and can be generalized to broader content applications.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not an "enjoyable" read but a really good manual for the basic metadata systems. Absolutely necessary if you are at all planning any sort of career in the management of a libraries, museums, or archives digital collections.

[Martha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a clearly written book, full of practical information, that I am considering buying my own copy--if only it weren't so pricey! But this is definitely a book I think I would return to more than once. Highly recommended for anyone grappling with metadata issues of any kind.

[Kateandthegirlz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is fantastic! You know I love metadata so I am biased, but this is a clear, easy to read and really sensible guide to metadata implementation. Tops!

[Andrea Hickman Walker · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very good introduction to the creation of metadata. A bit dry in places, but I imagine it's difficult to make every aspect of something like this interesting.

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall a decent overview. The DC, MODS, and VRA element specs you can find online. The chapter on metadata sharing as well as the chapter on designing and documenting a scheme were very helpful.

[Christie Kliewer · Rating 4 out of 5]

very practical. admittedly kind of boring though.

[Jess Playin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Considering this book was the only way I got through my metadata class it is amazing. Well written and easy to understand. I couldn't have done it without this book.

[Servabo · Rating 3 out of 5]

No more metadata for me :)

[Melanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gave a basic understanding of a variety of metadata topics while also discussing the history and future of metadata. Overall an educational read.

[Karen]

I read part of this book. It's a good resource for the topic (and I took a course or 2 with Steven J. Miller during my MLIS). But I'm adrift in my career and I didn't want to devote any more time to this book unless I know what direction I'm headed.